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Under 25? You Don’t Deserve To Live!

It’s not news that the UK’s new “National Living Wage” that arrives in April only applies to workers over 25 years of age. It doesn’t seem fair, does it? It means that, legally, someone aged 24 could be paid significantly less than their 25-year-old colleague for doing exactly the same job. Presumably under-25s don’t need to live? Simply unbelievable.

But here’s my prediction! Companies that employ minimum wage staff will start to ONLY employ people under the age of 25, saving themselves loads in wages. Those over 25 will be vilified by younger colleagues for earning more for the same work and the national workforce will get younger and younger. Why employ someone over 25 when you can get someone under 25 cheaper?

The inevitable surge in employment of under-25s will usher in a round of preaching, manipulative bragging from the Tories; “Unemployment is DOWN!” they’ll say, “there are more under-25s working now than ever!”. What they won’t say is “This is because you can pay them less than anyone else and they can’t do anything about it.” In the meantime over-25s will be slowly pushed out of the workplace as companies “make necessary cutbacks due to the added costs of this new Living Wage…”

It’s a con and I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it when people realise just how much of a con it is. Until then I will read everything I can on the topic. Best to be well informed when you plan on arguing a point, I find.